Downtown redevelopment continues in Grand Haven with $5.6M main street makeover

Developers and merchants in downtown Grand Haven aim to make their main street a destination, an experience.

"We've been way too one-dimensional," says Steve Loftis, downtown business and real estate owner and immediate past chairman of the Downtown Development Authority board. He says the area needs to move beyond people going there for one store or one restaurant. "Eating, shopping and being downtown should be an experience."

Grand Haven's downtown redevelopment plan created in 2005 continues this fall with new streetscape elements, the installation of a snowmelt system and updated sanitary sewer and water mains.

The streetscape elements, which date back to the last upgrade in the 1980s, will include new trees and stone planters along Washington Avenue with walls high enough for seating, traditional style streetlights, new sidewalks with brick pavers and kiosks with information on upcoming events and street maps.

The revamped streetscape will create an inviting environment for shoppers and visitors, says Dana Kollewehr, Grand Haven Main Street Downtown Development Authority Director. The snowmelt system will keep sidewalks clear for pedestrians during winter months, without using salt or sand. GMB Architecture & Engineering is overseeing the snowmelt system installation.

Loftis says the changes will create an energy in downtown to attract shoppers and visitors, and new businesses.
"We're going to lead the way, even in this poor economy," he says. "We’re going to create opportunities and come out of this healthier and smarter."

Infrastructure work began in September, and will continue through fall 2010. Cost estimates are close to $5.6 million. Kollewehr says the city, which is managing the project, has applied for a grant from the Michigan Department of Transportation for the streetscape elements of the project. Muskegon-based Jackson-Merkey Contractors is handling most of the work.

Source: Dana Kollewehr, Steve Loftis, Grand Haven Main Street Downtown Development Authority; Downtown Grand Haven Web site

Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].